When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep so the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go." John 11:32-44
In Artesia, New Mexico, Mary Bratcher accidentally ran over her own pet dog, Browny. The family tearfully buried the mutt in a field near the house. Mary’s young son, Toby refused to believe Browny was gone. So did Browny’s Mama! The hound dug up her offspring, and the following day the family found Browny on the porch, caked with mud and dried blood. He was barely breathing, and they rushed him to the veterinarian. Browny suffered a broken bone in his shoulder, and a lost eye; but has recovered. The family gave him a new name -- Lazarus!
The real Lazarus was really dead. Jesus prayed, and called him out of a cold, dark tomb. The people stood around watching with their mouths wide open in amazement. Then Jesus told them to take the grave clothes off Lazarus – after all, he wasn’t dead any more – grave clothes get in the way of living. You don’t carry a coffin to work, or a shroud to the ball game.
Now, we usually stop there; Lazarus has been given a second start, and the Pharisees have been put in their place, and Mary and Martha are ecstatic over getting their brother back. But, what then? How do you go about living once you’ve seen the business side of the funeral home?
In John’s following chapter, the setting of the text is several weeks later. Jesus is about to be arrested, but pays a visit to Lazarus, Mary and Martha in Bethany.
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:1-8 (NRSVA)
The real Lazarus is a picture of our saved souls. Jesus gives new life, calls us forth from the darkness, commands the grave clothes to be stripped away, and goes with us to the supper table.
How should you live when you’ve been raised from the dead? There are some principles we can see from the life of Lazarus:
PRINCIPLE #1. WHEN YOU’VE BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD STAY CLOSE TO JESUS!
We are only in a position to be of use to Jesus in the Kingdom when we stay close. Mary and Martha both clung to the Lord. Martha did it in her way, busily running the kitchen; Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. That was Lazarus’ way also, reclining at the table with Jesus.
Staying close to the Lord means being comfortable. You cannot do that if you don’t spend time with Him. Lazarus knew a good deal, and he wanted to stay close to the giver of life.
Mary Magdaline stayed close to Jesus. She brought the costliest thing she owned -- a jar of expensive perfume -- and washed Jesus’ feet, drying them with her hair. Nothing was too good for the One who had forgiven her.
The Bible says that the room was filled with the odor of Mary’s precious gift. More than that, it was filled with His presence. The birth of our first child introduced me to a never before experienced phenomenon – changing of the diaper! At first I did not want to be close enough to participate, however, it became obvious that I could not continue to claim parenthood unless it was up close and personal. Staying close to Jesus is like that. We will miss the joy of having intimate fellowship if we don’t draw close.
PRINCIPLE #2. WHEN YOU’VE BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD REMEMBER WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU.
Judas didn’t! The Bible informs us that Judas was outraged at the waste of this gift in one extravagant action. For Judas it is a pity that his greed crowded out the kind of thankfulness he could have displayed like a common whore, forgiven.
If Judas didn’t remember, the Jews wouldn’t remember. Power and position, control and manipulation of the nation’s religious organization blinded their eyes.
Remembering what Jesus has done for you will keep your heart soft, your head receptive, and your hands outstretched toward God. My Dad lived over a delicatessen as a child. He was on good terms with the owner, and got a cheese sandwich every day after school. It has been many years since those days. However, if you ask him if he would care for cheese (in any shape, fashion -- no matter how disguised), you will receive a penetrating, almost hot-to-the-touch stare. He remembers cheese all too well. He is sick of cheese! In just the same, but reversed way, once you get close enough to understand the love of Jesus, you will never forget what He has done for you.
PRINCIPLE #3. WHEN YOU’VE BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD BE LIKE JESUS
Be a miracle
Jesus’ resurrection was a miracle of God. The only way we can be like Him is to follow in His steps. Some have said that the age of miracles is done. That is categorically untrue! The greatest miracle of all is when God, in response to childlike faith, reaches down and saves a human soul. The Lord’s offer to anyone who has never received eternal life, is a miracle of faith.
Be a martyr
Being a miracle is one thing -- martyrdom is another. But Jesus said we would be (Acts 1.8). The word "witness" comes from the Greek base "martus." It means to spread the word (see John 12.17). To be a Biblical martyr is to share the good news with others. That is what Jesus did. That is how we can be like Him.
I still have relatives in my home state of New York. We moved south of the Mason-Dixon line almost twenty years ago, and some changes are noticeable. After 5 or 6 years of living in Florida, I called my cousin to chat. It had been a year since we’d heard each other. I thought, "My word, he sounds like a Yankee!" I was just about to remark about his "accent" when he blurted out, "Y’know, Rus, youse is stawtin’ ta tawk funny." It dawned for me, and I realized that some changes had taken place. I said things like some of my native neighbors. And those neighbors had begun to lose their accents and speak correctly!
When you stay close to Jesus -- and remember what He did for you -- you will begin to be like Him. It happens mostly without flashes of lightning and dramatic announcements. You grow alike.
There is only one requirement in all this. In order to live like you’ve been raised from the dead, you have to be raised from the dead. The Bible says that you can have that if you will accept it (Romans 10.9-10). Jesus offers it as a free gift.
In Hanover, Germany, there is a cemetery that has a particularly interesting grave. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. She directed in her will that the grave be made so secure that if she is wrong, and there is a resurrection, that the grave will keep everything else out. The casket is surrounded by huge, thick slabs of marble and granite, cemented together and fastened further by steel clasps. It is air tight and cannot be penetrated. On the marker are these words:
"This grave must never be opened"
A tiny oak tree seed, buried beneath the grave slabs began to grow. Over the decades the trunk enlarged and slowly shifted the grave slabs. At one point the stress caused by the pressure of the tree wrenched the steel clasps from their sockets. The grave was opened.
There will be another grave opening. God’s resurrection power is greater than any seed He created. Nothing will prevent Him from fulfilling His ultimate plan of uniting all believers with Himself in heaven. One day, as He did with Lazarus, Jesus will call all the saints home. Are you ready to live with Him? You can be -- this is the place to practice.
